


I’m Not a Bad Girl (But I’d Do Bad Things for You)

by SophieAyase



Category: Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Angst, Mutual Pining, Survivor Continuity, Yuletide, Yuletide 2018, and related soul-searching, they're all bi everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 13:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieAyase/pseuds/SophieAyase
Summary: "I had to protect her," Lara snapped. "I've done things I'm not proud of. And I'd do them again, too."





	I’m Not a Bad Girl (But I’d Do Bad Things for You)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tahanrien](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tahanrien/gifts).



Sam was jostled in her bed as the cargo ship hit a bump in a rough area of the sea. It wasn’t enough to fully wake her, just enough to get her attention through the half-asleep haze she’d spent the past few hours in, owing to a combination of her natural exhaustion and the medication the ship’s doctor had administered.

She was just awake enough to hear a grunt next to her. She knew, without seeing, that it was Lara sitting by her bed, keeping watch. _Are you okay?_ Sam wanted to ask, but in her dozy state she only managed an _ermp_.

“Oh,” Lara whispered. “Are you all right?” Sam heard the chair legs squeak against the floor as Lara stood to peer at her more closely. It was a rhetorical question, but Sam wanted to answer. She tried opening her mouth only to find that her muscles seemed to have forgotten how to move, so instead she gave what she hoped was a noticeable nod and turned her head toward Lara’s voice, pressing it against the pillow.

Lara chuckled. “Guess so.” She lightly brushed the side of Sam’s cheek with the back of her hand. Her touch was warm and gentle, so different from the fiery warrior Sam had seen only hours before. Or was it days? The timeline was already confusing.

Sam managed to get her eyes to flutter open, her eyelashes brushing against Lara’s finger. Lara beamed down at her. “Awake now, Sleeping Beauty?” she teased.

“Mmmm.” Sam found her mouth could move again. “I’ll sleep,” she muttered. “You’re beauty.”

Lara laughed again. “I think I’d dispute that,” she said. “I’m not the one who left a trail of broken hearts through UCL.” Sam scowled. “I know, you can’t help it,” Lara said lightly.

“Who’s to say you didn’t?” Sam said. Lara clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, disbelievingly but affectionately.

“You overestimate my powers of attraction,” Lara said as she sat on the edge of the bed, angling herself to look at Sam.

“You underestimate them,” Sam grumbled. She closed her eyes again.

She felt Lara trace the edges of her face with one fingertip. “Go back to sleep,” Lara whispered comfortingly. “I’ll be right here.”

Sam frowned. “You too,” she muttered, pushing herself nearer to the wall.

“Aww.” She could tell Lara was smiling again. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Sam forced her eyes open to meet Lara’s gaze. “Please.”

Lara sighed to herself. “I guess I can’t say no to a pretty girl like you,” she said lightly.

Sam grunted. “A _sick_ pretty girl,” she whined as she shut her eyes again.

* * *

The next time she awakened, Lara was no longer next to her. Her senses felt a little sharper, too. The drugs must have worn off. Yeah, and there was that pain in her chest. The drugs had definitely worn off. Still, she kept her eyes closed. She was still tired, and anyway, she wanted to catch as much as she could of the whispered conversation going on beside her.

“—put yourself through a lot, little bird,” Jonah was saying.

“I’d do it again,” Lara said hotly.

“I know you would.” Jonah chuckled affectionately. “An adventurer is born, huh?”

“It wasn’t about adventure, Jonah.” Lara sounded exasperated, as if this was a conversation she’d had more than once. “My God, Roth died! And Alex, and Grim, and Steph… you think I’d do that for _adventure?”_ she practically spat.

“Of course not.” Sam could practically hear Jonah rolling his eyes.

“I had to protect her,” Lara snapped, ignoring him entirely. “I’d do anything to keep her safe.”

“I know, little bird. We all would.”

Lara drew a big breath. “I mean _anything_ , Jonah.” She paused. “It’s not fair, is it? I… I put one person ahead of everybody else. I shouldn’t… didn’t…”

“Lara.” Jonah was using his “calming big brother” voice. Sam smirked to herself: it was nearly as effective as her doe eyes. _Nearly._ “It wasn’t your decision. Sam or no Sam, Alex… he made his choice to get us all off that island. And Roth and Grim – you aren’t responsible for them either. The Solarii killed them in cold blood.” Even Jonah the gentle giant’s voice was trembling with anger. “And well, we were too late to save Steph anyway,” he added quietly.

Lara was breathing heavily. “Listen, little bird,” Jonah said. “If you’d been in Grim’s place, or Roth’s, you would’ve done the same. I know you,” he added fondly.

Lara laughed, a short, wan laugh. “Would I?” she said. “Would I have–”

“Yes, you would have,” Jonah said shortly. “You would’ve done that for me or Roth.” He paused. “And you sure as hell would have done it for Sam.”

“Touchée.” Sam could tell Lara wasn’t happy about it. “It’s still not fair, though.”

“No. It’s not fair,” Jonah agreed sadly.

“I don’t mean Roth and Grim.”

“I know.”

“I mean Sam. I mean…” Lara drew a couple of breaths before speaking quietly. “I’d fucking kill for her, Jonah.”

“I know,” Jonah repeated.

“You know?” Lara laughed sarcastically. “I’m not exaggerating, Jonah. And it scares the hell out of me,” she muttered.

“It’s what happens when you love somebody,” Jonah said.

“Well, I loved Grim and Roth too!” Lara snapped.

“Lara.” Jonah’s tone was even. “You know damn well what I mean.”

_Well_ , Sam thought. _This is awkward. Can’t very well let them know I’m awake now._

There was silence for a moment before Jonah spoke again. “If there’s one thing I know, Lara, it’s that ignoring it won’t make it go away.” Lara must have made a sour expression, because he continued. “Little bird, Reyes and I talked while you were gone. We both knew it by then.”

Lara exhaled softly. “I see.”

“And even if we hadn’t, seeing you walk down that hill with her cradled against you, like the most important thing in the world?”

Lara was quiet. And Sam’s curiosity had finally grown stronger than her discretion. She opened her eyes and faked a yawn to catch their attention.

“Sam! You’re awake.” Lara looked startled.

“Yeah.” Sam grinned conspiratorially as she sat up, hanging her legs off the side of the bed. “What were you two talking about?” she asked innocently.

She didn’t miss the look of panic that briefly moved over Lara’s face before she replaced it with a carefully blank expression. The same look appeared on Jonah’s face, but he was able to cover it with one of concern and affection. “Nothing important right now. Not as important as you, Nishimura.” He smiled warmly at her, and she knew it to be genuine. “Might be a silly question, but how are you feeling?”

Sam grimaced. “Pained.”

Jonah nodded. “It’s been a while since they hit you with the Vicodin. Want me to ask the doctor to pop by?” He was already out of his seat.

“Mmm… yeah, it couldn’t hurt. Thanks, Jonah.” She smiled weakly, and was annoyed by it. Samantha Nishimura wasn’t accustomed to weakness.

“No problem, little flower.”

“That my nickname?” she asked wryly as he stepped over to the door.

Jonah chuckled. “It is now,” he said over his shoulder. “I’ll be back with the doctor.”

“Thanks,” she repeated, trying not to let on how eager she was for him to take his leave.

“Thanks, Jonah,” Lara echoed.

The door shut softly behind him, and Sam looked Lara straight in the eye and smiled winningly. Or at least as winningly as she could from what was in effect a hospital bed.

“Couldn’t stand to spend any more time in a pretty girl’s bed?” she said sweetly, and batted her eyelashes.

Lara blushed, making Sam grin with satisfaction. “I was getting restless,” she murmured.

“I’m not hearing a denial,” Sam said sweetly.

Lara smiled to herself and stared down at her hands while she played with the hem of her shirt. “Sam…” she said quietly. “You know I’d do anything for you, right?”

“Of course.”

“I mean anything," Lara insisted. Her eyes blazed.

Sam nodded. “I would for you, too,” she said quietly.

Lara chuckled wanly and shook her head, at herself rather than Sam. “It scares me a little,” she muttered.

Sam patted the mattress next to her. “Why?” she asked innocently as Lara stepped over to sit beside her.

“I’ve done things this past week that I’m not proud of, Sam.” She paused. “And I’d do them again.”

“I’m honored.”

“You should be.”

Sam leaned against Lara. “I mean it. I’m… I don’t know, touched that you’d go to those lengths just for me.”

“I’m shocked I would,” Lara said dryly.

“Well, that’s what you do when you love someone, isn’t it?”

Lara pulled away abruptly. "Did you hear what Jonah and I were saying?" she asked, alarmed.

"Oh." Sam mentally kicked herself. Out of all the things she could have said, she'd just _had_ to repeat after Jonah, almost word for word... "A little," she admitted.

“I don’t – Sam, I don’t want you to feel like you need to–”

“Shush,” Sam commanded, her bravery suddenly returning to her.

She leaned toward Lara. Lara, her best friend. The girl she’d secretly, or not so secretly, been after for what seemed like forever. Her hero, now.

Sam cupped a hand over Lara’s cheek before leaning in to brush her lips against Lara’s forehead. “I love you too.”


End file.
